Winter Recipes
It’s a new year and one of my resolutions was to get back into cooking!
It’s cold out, and so I’ve been craving warm meals and cozy dishes. I’ve been using my Instantpot every other day to cook something up.
Here are some of my favorite dishes from this winter!
Recently I’ve been excited to improve my skills in the kitchen, try new dishes, and learn to make the meals I love. I like to pick my groceries carefully and use fresh ingredients as much as I can. Sometimes I’m not
General Note: Unless I’m trying something new and different, I tend not to follow directions exactly. Probably 90% of the time I’m making changes to whatever inspiration I find online. These are all my own versions and creations of familiar dishes!
On ingredients: I typically try to buy all the necessary ingredients, but if I run out I can usually find a substitute in my cabinets or simplify without it.
On measurement: I don’t measure when I’m cooking, but I really try to focus on making the meal. I make mistakes when I’m distracted and not paying close attention to the heat on a pan or pot. I mostly eyeball and taste my way through cooking. Add a pinch here or there - no matter what I do Ryan still puts hot sauce and ketchup on EVERYTHING! So I mostly cook to my own tastes. And that’s why I’ve written out the recipes so casually!
Baking vs Cooking: I find baking to be so restricted, it’s really important to be exact and follow directions carefully. But cooking is so much more relaxed and enjoyable. You can have fun with it!
Instantpot Chicken Soup for the Soul
Fresh and delicious!
Chop and sauté the mirepoix (celery, onion, carrot) and mince garlic.
Add the chicken stock + 1 bouillon cube
Slice rotisserie chicken and add to the pot, it’s a real time saver
Season with thyme/salt/pepper.
Pressure Cook for 20 minutes on the soup setting, garnish with green onions + serve hot!
Roasted Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
Chop and season brussels sprouts with salt, pepper, pink peppercorn and mix with olive oil.
Season chicken breasts with paprika, salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.
Roast it all at 425 Degrees for 25 minutes. Flip the brussels so they get more evenly crispy.
This takes a little time in the oven, and rice pilaf takes about 25 minutes to make as well - so it’s a great side dish! Ryan adds hot sauce but it’s already really flavorful.
Roasted Cauliflower
Crust Pizza
Cauliflower crust is not my favorite, but if you’re craving pizza and trying to be healthy, here is an easy recipe!
Mix cauliflower rice, mozzarella & egg to make the crust. I added salt, pepper & oregano as well for flavor.
Make a thin crust by spreading out the surface! Cook on both sides for 20 minutes. Make sure it’s crispy!
In the last 10 minutes add marinara sauce, basil, and mozzarella cheese!
Stuffed Peppers
I’ve posted this before, but it’s more of a winter recipe, and DIVINE. It can be made very healthy if you skip the cheese, use ground turkey, and replace rice with quinoa!
BOIL YOUR PEPPERS if you want to save a ton of time.
Porcini Mushroom Ravioli with Truffle Pesto Sauce
Sort of cheating here, but pay attention because this was the best thing I ate last week.
The ravioli is fresh from Trader Joe’s, so not much work other than putting it in boiling water! The key is to add the truffle pesto. Heat it on the stovetop with some olive oil so it’s more of a ‘sauce’ consistency. Serve with sliced spicy Italian sausage and a refreshing glass of Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
Instantpot Pork Carnitas Tacos & Blistered Shishito Peppers
For the pork carnitas: Add olive oil to the instant pot and add the pork shoulder.
Cover in spices - chili powder, basil, cumin, ground pepper, garlic powder, basil, paprika, and lime juice, frozen cilantro, and some water. People love to add OJ or oranges too but I did not have those on hand!
This will cook on high for 40 minutes. When the pressure releases, shred the pork into smaller pieces!
Bake or warm the tortillas for 10 minutes.
Prepare what you plan to garnish your tacos with! We added sliced avocado, pickled onions, diced green chili, onion, and a Tinga sauce!
For the peppers: I simply seasoned them with olive oil, sea salt, and grilled them on the stovetop until I was happy with the consistency! Such an easy appetizer or side dish.
Stovetop Tortellini Chicken Soup
To preface, I like the stovetop for any soups that include pasta or noodles. It is much easier to manage when you can see it cooking. Noodles that are in the Instantpot for too long soak up more broth than they should, and become bloated and less tasty. Less liquid makes it look less like a soup and more like a wet pasta (ew).
Here is the easy recipe:
Chop and sauté the mirepoix (celery, onion, carrot) and mince garlic
Add the chicken stock, thyme/salt/pepper, fresh parsley, and 1 bouillon cube for taste
Add cooked chicken, it will shred naturally as you mix it later on
Cover and cook for 40 minutes
Add the tortellini along with some grated parmesan!
Crustless Quiche
This healthy quiche is pretty simple!
Whisk together the eggs + milk (I mixed fat-free & half and half) + salt and pepper
Add the chopped broccoli + chopped pepper + cheese into a baking dish
Pour the mixture evenly over and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.
Enjoy with some fruit for breakfast or with a salad for lunch!
Spicy Instantpot Chili
Heat olive oil, onion, and ground beef (or turkey) on sauté setting.
Add sliced pepper, frozen cilantro, ground cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and some garlic powder.
Once the meat has been browned, add 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of petite diced pepper with jalapeños and chili’s for an extra kick!
Cook on High-Pressure setting for chili for 45 minutes.
Once complete serve hot with low-fat sour cream, cheese blend, and scallions!
Cacio e Pepe
This one easy! One sub is that noodles like bucatini are much better for this dish. I used mezze rigatoni and it doesn’t soak up the sauce quite as well, but nothing can really be bad if it’s covered in cheese right?
Set aside some pasta water for the sauce. When straining the pasta, put add 1/2 a cup of pasta water, butter, parmesan to the dish. Add plenty of fresh ground black pepper and pink peppercorn. Create a thicker sauce, and add over hot pasta.
A very indulgent Sunday night dish without having to go out for Italian.
Roast those cauliflower florets up with lots of paprika and seasonings at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
Keep cooking until charred on top - I love it a little bit crispy because mushy cauliflower isn’t great.
Add buffalo or hot sauce for a spicy kick!
You can make these tacos your own. Add whatever toppings you like! My favorite is green goddess dip from TJ’s on top :)
Pork Loin with Mushroom Risotto
The key to good pork loin is creating a delicious dry rub!
Salt + pepper + paprika + thyme + rosemary + garlic powder + onion powder
Sear both sides in a pan. Heat oven to 425 degrees and cook for 30 minutes. Comes out perfectly moist and delicious!
The risotto is from Trader Joe’s and super easy to make!
Ribeye Steak
Season with salt, ground black pepper, garlic, and grill in pan with butter. Simple but very flavorful!
Chicken n’ Dumplin Soup!
I followed THIS RECIPE - and it really does taste like Grandma’s !!
Spicy Penne a la Vodka
I tried THIS RECIPE which is just like Carbone’s spicy rigatoni! I am allergic to red pepper flakes though (LOL) so I hold off on that and add a touch of pink peppercorn instead.
Healthy Meals for In Between
For a refreshing taste, or because sometimes you just don’t want to turn your oven on!
Hope this provides some food inspiration for your next home cooked meals!!
I have a lot more on my list this winter, so G2G & get back into the kitchen :)
Xx Gab